Opaque splits embedded in transparent media for optical emitter/detector isolation

ABSTRACT

An electronic device can include a housing defining an aperture and at least partially defining an internal volume of the electronic device, an electromagnetic radiation emitter and an electromagnetic radiation detector disposed in the internal volume, and an optical component disposed in the aperture. The optical component can include a first and second transparent portions disposed above the electromagnetic radiation detector and the electromagnetic radiation emitter, and an opaque portion disposed between the first and second transparent portions. A conductive component can be in electrical communication with the opaque portion and one or more components of the electronic device.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.16/899,143, filed 11 Jun. 2020, and entitled “OPAQUE SPLITS EMBEDDED INTRANSPARENT MEDIA FOR OPTICAL EMITTER/DETECTOR ISOLATION,” which is acontinuation-in-part patent application of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 16/811,783, filed 6 Mar. 2020, and entitled “OPAQUE SPLITS EMBEDDEDIN TRANSPARENT MEDIA FOR OPTICAL EMITTER/DETECTOR ISOLATION,” whichclaims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/898,858,filed 11 Sep. 2019, and entitled “OPAQUE SPLITS EMBEDDED IN TRANSPARENTMEDIA FOR OPTICAL EMITTER/DETECTOR ISOLATION,” the entire disclosures ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference.

FIELD

The described embodiments relate generally to electronic devices. Moreparticularly, the present embodiments relate to electronic devicesincluding input components and output components.

BACKGROUND

As portable electronic devices continue to include increasingly greaternumbers of features, integration of those features into a single devicebecomes ever more complex. For example, certain features can requireboth the emission of light from the electronic device, and the detectionof light from the ambient environment. Components designed to emit lightfrom the device can, however, also undesirably emit light that travelsalong a pathway incident on a light detector without ever reaching anambient environment outside the device. These undesirable light pathwayscan cause false positives or undesirable amounts of noise whenattempting to detect light from outside the device. Accordingly, it isdesirable to provide components, such as a device enclosure, that canprovide emitter and detector components with a desired level of opticalisolation without undesirably increasing the size of the device.

SUMMARY

According to some aspects of the present disclosure, an electronicdevice can include a housing defining an aperture and at least partiallydefining an internal volume of the electronic device, an electromagneticradiation emitter disposed in the internal volume, an electromagneticradiation detector disposed in the internal volume, and an opticalcomponent disposed in the aperture. The optical component can include afirst transparent portion aligned with the electromagnetic radiationdetector, a second transparent portion aligned with the electromagneticradiation emitter, an opaque portion disposed between the firsttransparent portion and the second transparent portion, and a conductivecomponent in electrical communication with the opaque portion and anelectrical ground point of the electronic device.

In some examples, the opaque portion can include a conductive material.The conductive material can include a metal. The conductive material canbe deposited on one or more of the first transparent portion or thesecond transparent portion. The conductive material can be deposited bya physical vapor deposition process. The conductive component caninclude a conductive ink. The conductive component can include aconductive adhesive.

According to some examples, a housing for an electronic device caninclude a body defining an aperture and at least partially defining anexterior surface of the electronic device, an optical component disposedin the aperture, the optical component at least partially defining theexterior surface and an interior surface of the electronic device. Theoptical component can include a first transparent portion, a secondtransparent portion surrounding the first transparent portion, an opaqueportion disposed between the first transparent portion and the secondtransparent portion, and a conductive component disposed on a portion ofthe optical component defining the interior surface. The conductivecomponent can be in electrical communication with the opaque portion.

In some examples, the opaque portion can include a metal. The conductivecomponent can include copper. The second transparent component caninclude a sidewall that defines an opening and the first transparentcomponent can be disposed in the opening, and the opaque portion can bedeposited on the sidewall. The opaque portion can be deposited by avapor deposition process. The conductive component can include multiplelayers of metallic material. The opaque portion can at least partiallydefine the interior surface. The conductive component can be depositedor printed on the unitary optical component.

According to some examples, an electronic device can include a housingdefining an aperture and at least partially defining an internal volumeof the electronic device, and an optical component disposed in theaperture, the optical component at least partially defining an internalsurface of the electronic device. The optical component can include afirst transparent portion, a second transparent portion abutting thefirst transparent portion, and an opaque portion disposed between thefirst transparent portion and the second transparent portion. Anelectronic component can be disposed in the internal volume, and aconductive component can be in electrical communication with the opaqueportion and the electronic component.

In some examples, the electronic component can include an opticalemitter or detector. The electronic component can include a flexibleelectrical connector. The electronic component can be in electricalcommunication with an electrical ground point of the electronic device.The conductive component can include a copper layer deposited on theoptical component.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The disclosure will be readily understood by the following detaileddescription in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein likereference numerals designate like structural elements, and in which:

FIG. 1 shows a perspective view of an electronic device.

FIG. 2 shows a rear exploded view of the electronic device of FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an optical component of an electronicdevice.

FIG. 4 shows a front perspective front view of an electronic device.

FIG. 5 shows a rear perspective view of the electronic device of FIG. 5

FIG. 6 shows an exploded perspective view of the electronic device ofFIG. 5 .

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an optical component of an electronicdevice.

FIG. 8 shows a top view of the optical component of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 9 shows a cross-sectional side view of the optical component ofFIG. 7 .

FIG. 10 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the opticalcomponent of FIG. 7 .

FIG. 11A shows a top view of components of an electronic device.

FIG. 11B shows a top view of components of an electronic device.

FIG. 11C shows a top view of components of an electronic device.

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional side view of components of an electronicdevice.

FIG. 13A shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 13B shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 13C shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 13D shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 14A shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 14B shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 15A shows a side cross-sectional view of two transparent portionsof material that can be combined, bonded, or joined to form a unitaryoptical component.

FIG. 15B shows a side cross-sectional view of the two transparentportions of material of FIG. 15A in a combined configuration.

FIG. 16A shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 16B shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 16C shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 16D shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 17A shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 17B shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 18 shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 19A shows a cutaway perspective view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 19B shows a cross-sectional side view of a component at a stageduring a formation process.

FIG. 19C shows a cross-sectional side view of a formed component.

FIG. 20A shows a process flow of various stages of a process for forminga component.

FIG. 20B shows a process flow of various stages of a process for forminga component.

FIG. 21A shows a process flow of various stages of a process for forminga component.

FIG. 21B shows a process flow of various stages of a process for forminga component.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to representative embodimentsillustrated in the accompanying drawings. It should be understood thatthe following descriptions are not intended to limit the embodiments toone preferred embodiment. To the contrary, it is intended to coveralternatives, modifications, and equivalents as can be included withinthe spirit and scope of the described embodiments, as defined by theappended claims.

One aspect of the present disclosure relates to an electronic deviceincluding a housing defining an internal volume, with an electromagneticradiation emitter and an electromagnetic radiation detector positionedwithin the internal volume. The housing can define an aperture disposedover the electromagnetic radiation emitter and detector, and a unitaryoptical component can be disposed in the aperture. The unitary opticalcomponent can include a first transparent portion overlying the detectorand a second transparent portion overlying the emitter. An opaqueportion can be disposed between the first and second transparentportions, and can be bonded, joined, fused, or otherwise connected withthe transparent portions. The unitary optical component can define anexterior surface of the electronic device, and the first and secondtransparent portions and the opaque portion can be flush relative to oneanother.

Electronic devices increasingly include components that can detect orotherwise receive information based on the ambient environment outsidethe electronic device. For example, smartphones typically includevisible light detectors, such as cameras, that can receive light fromthe ambient environment which is then processed into an image that isdisplayed to a user. In addition to components used for detectingproperties of the ambient environment, such as light, electronic devicesalso increasingly include components that can transmit or emit signalsor information into the ambient environment. Returning to the example ofa smartphone including a visible light detector in the form of a camera,such a device can also include a light emitter in the form a lightemitting diode flash component. Such an emitting component can worktogether with a detector to enhance the amount of information detectedfrom the ambient environment. For example, if the electronic device isin an environment that does not contain enough visible light to producea significant signal on the light detector of the camera, the flashcomponent can be triggered to emit light to illuminate the ambientenvironment and allow the detector to receive information appropriate toproduce an image.

The packaging of both emitters and detectors in a single electronicdevice, especially emitters and detectors that can operate in the samerange of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation or light, cansometimes lead to the generation of false signals. In the example of acamera, it is desirable that the camera only detect light, and thusgenerate a signal, from a desired location in the ambient environment.If the device also includes an emitter in the form of a flash, however,the concurrent use of the emitter and the camera can result in a falsesignal, if the camera is not optically isolated from the flash. That is,if the flash emits light that travels to the detector through a pathwaythat is entirely inside the device, the light incident on the detectorwill not be entirely from the ambient environment, and thus, will not bean accurate depiction of that environment. This condition is alsoreferred to as light leakage or cross-talk. Accordingly, it can bedesirable for emitters that emit electromagnetic radiation detectable bya detector and that are internally optically isolated from thosedetectors.

In addition to camera and flash systems, other electronic device systemscan include electromagnetic radiation emitters and detectors. Forexample, an electronic device can include a vision system designed toassist in providing recognition of an object, or objects. In someinstances, the vision system is designed to provide facial recognitionof a face of a user of the electronic device. The vision system caninclude a camera module designed to capture an image, such as atwo-dimensional image. The vision system can further include a lightemitting module designed to emit several light rays toward the object.The light rays can project a dot pattern onto the object. Further, thelight emitting module can emit light in the frequency spectrum ofinvisible light, such as infrared light (or IR light). The vision systemcan further include an additional camera module designed to receive atleast some of the light rays reflected from the object, and as a result,receive the dot pattern subsequent to the light rays being reflected bythe object. The additional camera module can include a light filterdesigned to filter out light that is not within the frequency spectrumof light emitted from the light emitting module. As an example, thelight filter can include an IR light filter designed to block light thatis outside the frequency range for IR light. The additional cameramodule can provide the dot pattern (or a two-dimensional image of thedot pattern) to a processor in the electronic device.

Other exemplary emitter and detector systems that operate in the same orsimilar ranges of wavelengths of light can include biometric detectionsystems. These systems can include components that can emit light andproject the light onto a user's body, whereupon the emitted light can beat least partially reflected back from the user's body back toward adetector of the device. As the properties of the emitted light are knownand controlled by the emitter, the differences between the properties ofthe light emitted onto the body and the light reflected therefrom andreceived by the detector can be used to determine a number of biometricor biological properties of the user's body, such as a user's pulse,heart activity, and/or other similar biometric properties.

These and other assemblies or systems including emitters and detectorscan include an opaque structural element inside the device that canserve to enclose and optically isolate the emitter components from thedetector components. These structural elements typically take the formof walls or chambers that can optically isolate the components in alateral direction. By their nature, however, the emitters and detectorsmust have a pathway to emit light to, or receive light from the ambientenvironment. Accordingly, transparent coverings such as lenses orglasses are typically used to cover the emitters and detectors, and toprovide a window to the ambient environment.

Further, it can be desirable for the emitters and detectors of thesesystems to be disposed relatively near or adjacent to one another, forexample, to increase the accuracy or sensitivity of the system. As such,a single lens or transparent cover can be used to provide a light pathto the ambient environment for both the emitters and detectors. Evenwhen optically isolated within the housing, such as by an opaquestructural element, a light leakage pathway between emitters anddetectors can exist through the lens or cover. For example, where asystem both emits and receives light with the ambient environmentthrough a single light or cover, some light from the emitter can beinternally reflected within a shared lens or cover to reach a detectorwithout first interacting with the ambient environment. As describedabove, this can result in cross-talk or false signals, and canundesirably impact the performance of the device. Accordingly, a unitaryoptical component, as described herein, including one or moretransparent portions and one or more opaque portions disposed therebetween can act as a lens or cover for the emitters and detectors of asystem, without providing any undesirable light pathways, therebyreducing or eliminating any light leakage or cross-talk between emittersand detectors while further optically isolating these components.Furthermore, the unitary optical component serves as a water-resistantbarrier, preventing the ingress of moisture to the emitters anddetectors.

These and other embodiments are discussed below with reference to FIGS.1-20B. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate thatthe detailed description given herein with respect to these Figures isfor explanatory purposes only, and should not be construed as limiting.

FIG. 1 shows an embodiment of an electronic device 100. The electronicdevice shown in FIG. 1 is a watch, such as a smartwatch. The smartwatch100 of FIG. 1 is merely one representative example of a device that canbe used in conjunction with the components and methods disclosed herein.The electronic device 100 can correspond to any form of wearableelectronic device, a portable media player, a media storage device, aportable digital assistant (“PDA”), a tablet computer, a computer, amobile communication device, a GPS unit, a remote control device, andother similar electronic devices. The electronic device 100 can bereferred to as an electronic device, or a consumer device. Furtherdetails of the watch 100 are provided below with reference to FIG. 2 .

Referring now to FIG. 2 , the electronic device 100 can include ahousing 101, and a cover 103 attached to the housing 101. The housing101 can substantially define at least a portion of an exterior surfaceof the device 100, and can include a base and sidewalls, such assidewall 120. The cover 103 can include glass, ceramic, plastic, or anyother substantially transparent material, component, or assembly. Thecover 103 can cover or otherwise overlay a display, a camera, a touchsensitive surface such as a touchscreen, or other component of thedevice 100. The cover 103 can define a front exterior surface of thedevice 100.

A back cover 110 can also be attached to or form part of the housing101, for example, opposite the cover 103. The back cover 110 can includeceramic, plastic, metal, or combinations thereof. In some examples, theback cover 110 can include a unitary optical component 111, alsoreferred to as an at least partially electromagnetically transparentcomponent 111. The electromagnetically transparent component 111 caninclude one or more portions that are transparent to any desiredwavelength of electromagnetic radiation, such as visual light, infraredlight, radio waves, or combinations thereof, with one or more opaqueportions disposed between the electromagnetically transparent portions.In some embodiments, the transparent portions of the unitary opticalcomponent 111 can be disposed over one or more electromagnetic radiationemitters and/or detectors, while the opaque portions can inhibit orprevent electromagnetic radiation emitted by an emitter from leaking toa detector along an undesirable pathway. Together, the housing 101,cover 103, and back cover 110 can substantially define an interiorvolume and an exterior surface of the device 100.

The device 100 can also include internal components, such as a hapticengine, a battery, and a system in package (SiP), including one or moreintegrated circuits, such as processors, sensors, and memory. The SiPcan also include a package. The device 100 can further include one ormore electromagnetic radiation emitters and detectors, such as lightemitting diodes, cameras, optical detectors, infrared detectors, andother detectors and/or emitters. These emitters and detectors can beassociated with one or more systems of the device, such as a camerasystem, a vision system, and/or a biometric system. The internalcomponents, such as one or more emitters and detectors, can be disposedwithin an internal volume defined at least partially by the housing 101,and can be affixed to the housing 101 via internal surfaces, attachmentfeatures, threaded connectors, studs, posts, or other features, that areformed into, defined by, or otherwise part of the housing 101 and/or thecover 103 or back cover 110. In some embodiments, the attachmentfeatures can be formed relatively easily on interior surfaces of thehousing 101, for example, by machining.

The housing 101 can be a substantially continuous or unitary componentand can include one or more openings 112 to receive components of theelectronic device 100, such as a button 114, and/or provide access to aninternal portion of the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, thedevice 100 can include input components such as one or more buttons 114and/or a crown 115.

The electronic device 100 can further include a strap 102, or othercomponent designed to attach the device 100 to a user or to otherwiseprovide wearable functionality. In some examples, the strap 102 can be aflexible material that can comfortably allow the device 100 to beretained on a user's body at a desired location. Further, the housing101 can include a reception feature or features 113 therein that canprovide attachment locations for the strap 102. In some embodiments, thestrap 102 can be retained on the housing 101 by any desired techniques.For example, the strap 102 can include magnets that are attracted withmagnets disposed within the housing 101, or can include retentioncomponents that mechanically retain the strap 102 against the housing101 within the reception feature 113, or combinations thereof. Furtherdetails of an example optical component 111 are provided below withreference to FIG. 3 .

FIG. 3 shows a perspective view of an optical component 211 of anelectronic device. The optical component 211 can be similar to, and caninclude some or all of the features of the optical component 111,described with respect to FIG. 2 . As can be seen in FIG. 3 , thecomponent 211 can include a first transparent portion 222, a secondtransparent portion 224, and a third transparent portion 226. In someembodiments, and as illustrated, the second transparent portion 224 cansurround the first transparent portion 222 while the third transparentportion 226 can surround both the first and second transparent portions222, 224. FIG. 3 illustrates just one particular exemplary arrangementof the transparent portions 222, 224, 226. The component 211 can includetransparent portions in any number and configuration, as describedfurther herein.

Continuing with FIG. 3 , a first opaque portion 232 can be disposedbetween the first and second transparent portions 222, 224, and a secondopaque portion 234 can be disposed between the second and thirdtransparent portions 232, 234. In this embodiment, the opaque portions232, 234 can entirely surround the perimeter of the respective adjacenttransparent portions 222, 224, although in some other examples, one ormore opaque portions may not entirely surround a transparent portion. Insome examples, the surfaces of the transparent portions 222, 224, 226and the opaque portions 232, 234 can be level, flush, or in line withone another and can collectively define a surface of the component 211,and can at least partially define the exterior surface of an electronicdevice, such as device 100. The term “flush” means to be approximatelyeven or level at a surface or within generally the same plane. A “flush”surface can include two or more contiguous surfaces. In some examples, aflush surface can have an average surface roughness (R_(a)) of less than10 microns, less than 5 microns, less than 1 micron, less than 0.75microns, less than 0.5 microns, less than 0.25 microns, or less than 0.1microns or smaller. In some examples, the opaque portions 232, 234 canextend an entire thickness or height “h” of the component 211. In theseexamples, the opaque portions 232, 234 can prevent electromagneticradiation, such as visible or infrared light, from being internallyreflected in the component 211 from one transparent portion to anothertransparent portion.

The transparent portions 222, 224, 226, and the opaque portions 232, 234can be formed from, or can include, substantially any material havingthe desired levels of transmissivity or opaqueness in any desired rangeof electromagnetic radiation. For example, the transparent portions 222,224, 226 can be formed from, or can include, a material that istransparent to electromagnetic radiation in the visible light spectrum,to infrared light, to ultraviolet light, to radio waves, or to any otherdesired range of wavelengths of light. Further, the transparent portions222, 224, 226 need not be completely transparent to the desired range orranges of wavelengths of light. For example, the transparent portions222, 224, 226 can be 90% transparent, 80% transparent, 70% transparent,50% transparent, 25% transparent, or even lower for certainapplications.

In some embodiments, one or more transparent portions 222, 224, 226 canbe formed from, or can include, any desired material, such as ceramicsor polymeric materials. In some examples, the one or more transparentportions 222, 224, 226 can include ceramic materials such as glass,sapphire, zirconia, spinel and/or other ceramic materials transparent toa desired range of wavelengths of light. In some examples, the one ormore transparent portions 222, 224, 226 can be formed from polymericmaterials, such as polycarbonate, acrylics, polyvinyl chloride,polyethylene terephthalate, and/or other polymeric materials transparentto a desired range of wavelengths of light. In some examples, one ormore transparent portions 222, 224, 226 can include a ceramic materialand one or more other transparent portions 222, 224, 226 can include apolymeric material.

The opaque portions 232, 234 can include or be formed from any materialthat is substantially opaque to a desired range of wavelengths of light,such as ceramic or polymeric materials. In some embodiments, one or moreopaque portions 232, 234 can be formed from or can include any desiredmaterial, such as ceramics or polymeric materials. In some examples, theopaque portions 232, 234 can include the same or a similar material asone or more of the transparent portions 222, 224, 226. In some examples,the opaque portions 232, 234 can be formed from the same or a similarmaterial as one or more of the transparent portions 222, 224, 226 andcan further include dyes, additives, or pigments that can block orabsorb light in a desired range of wavelengths.

The transparent portions 222, 224, 226 and the opaque portions 232, 234can be joined together by a desired technique to a form a substantiallyunitary body or component 211. The term “unitary” means to be anapproximately singular or solid body. A “unitary” component can includetwo or more parts or portions that are joined, bonded, fused, orotherwise held together as a single component or piece. For example, anopaque portion 232 can be joined to a transparent portion 222 with anadhesive or by directly fusing the materials of each portions 222, 232together as described herein. Other methods for bonding, joining, orintegrally forming one or more portions can be used in any desiredcombination. In some embodiments, a surface of the component 211, forexample, the surface at least partially defining an exterior surface ofan electronic device, can have a larger surface area of transparentmaterial than opaque material. That is, the transparent portions 222,224, 226 can define a larger surface area of the component 211 than theopaque portions 232, 234. In some other examples, however, the surfaceof the component 211 at least partially defining an exterior surface ofan electronic device can have a larger surface area of opaque materialthan transparent material.

The electronic device component 211 can include two or more transparentportions and at least one opaque portion disposed therebetween in anynumber of configurations, as described herein. The process for formingsuch a unitary component can include any combination of joining,bonding, co-extruding, drawing, molding, or fusing the portionstogether, as described herein. The unitary component can include a flushexterior surface defined by the opaque and transparent components, andthe opaque portion can prevent or inhibit internally reflected lightfrom passing between transparent portions of the component. Variousexamples of unitary components including opaque and transparent portionsare described herein, and processes for forming the same are describedbelow with reference to FIGS. 4-6 .

FIG. 4 illustrates a perspective view of an example of an electronicdevice 300. The electronic device 300 shown in FIG. 4 is a mobilewireless communication device, such as a smartphone. The smartphone ofFIG. 4 is merely one representative example of a device that can be usedin conjunction with the systems and methods disclosed herein. Electronicdevice 300 can correspond to any form of wearable electronic device, aportable media player, a media storage device, a portable digitalassistant (“PDA”), a tablet computer, a computer, a mobile communicationdevice, a GPS unit, a remote-control device, or any other electronicdevice. The electronic device 300 can be referred to as an electronicdevice, or a consumer device.

The electronic device 300 can have a housing that includes a frame or aband 302 that defines an outer perimeter and a portion of the exteriorsurface of the electronic device 300. The band 302, or portions thereof,can be joined to one or more other components of the device as describedherein. In some examples, the band 302 can include several sidewallcomponents, such as a first sidewall component 304, a second sidewallcomponent 306, a third sidewall component 308 (opposite the firstsidewall component 304), and a fourth sidewall component (not shown inFIG. 4 ). The sidewall components can be joined, for example, atmultiple locations, to one or more other components of the device, asdescribed herein.

In some instances, some of the sidewall components form part of anantenna assembly (not shown in FIG. 4 ). As a result, a non-metalmaterial or materials can separate the sidewall components of the band302 from each other, in order to electrically isolate the sidewallcomponents. For example, a first separating material 312 separates thefirst sidewall component 304 from the second sidewall component 306, anda second separating material 314 separates the second sidewall component306 from the third sidewall component 308. The aforementioned materialscan include an electrically inert or insulating material(s), such asplastics and/or resin, as non-limiting examples. Further, as describedherein, one or more of the sidewall components can be electricallyconnected to internal components of the electronic device, such as asupport plate, as described herein. In some examples, these electricalconnections can be achieved by joining a sidewall component to aninternal component, for example, as part of the antenna assembly.

The electronic device 300 can further include a display assembly 316(shown as a dotted line) that is covered by a protective cover 318. Thedisplay assembly 316 can include multiple layers (discussed below), witheach layer providing a unique function. The display assembly 316 can bepartially covered by a border or a frame that extends along an outeredge of the protective cover 318 and partially covers an outer edge ofthe display assembly 316. The border can be positioned to hide orobscure any electrical and/or mechanical connections between the layersof the display assembly 316 and flexible circuit connectors. Also, theborder can include a uniform thickness. For example, the border caninclude a thickness that generally does not change in the X- andY-dimensions.

Also, as shown in FIG. 4 , the display assembly 316 can include a notch322, representing an absence of the display assembly 316. The notch 322can allow for a vision system that provides the electronic device 300with information for object recognition, such as facial recognition. Inthis regard, the electronic device 300 can include a masking layer withopenings (shown as dotted lines) designed to hide or obscure the visionsystem, while the openings allow the vision system to provide objectrecognition information. The protective cover 318 can be formed from atransparent material, such as glass, plastic, sapphire, or the like. Inthis regard, the protective cover 318 can be referred to as atransparent cover, a transparent protective cover, or a cover glass(even though the protective cover 318 sometimes does not include glassmaterial). Further, in some examples, the protective cover 318 caninclude some or all of the features of the unitary optical componentsdescribed herein. In some embodiments, the protective cover 318 caninclude one or more transparent portions overlying an emitter and/ordetector, for example, as associated with the vision system, and canalso include one or more opaque portions extending the thickness of thecover 318 and disposed between the transparent portions, as describedherein.

As shown in FIG. 4 , the protective cover 318 includes an opening 324,which can represent a single opening of the protective cover 318. Theopening 324 can allow for transmission of acoustical energy (in the formof audible sound) into the electronic device 300, which can be receivedby a microphone (not shown in FIG. 4 ) of the electronic device 300. Theopening 324 can also, or alternatively, allow for transmission ofacoustical energy (in the form of audible sound) out of the electronicdevice 300, which can be generated by an audio module (not shown in FIG.4 ) of the electronic device 300.

The electronic device 300 can further include a port 326 designed toreceive a connector of a cable assembly. The port 326 allows theelectronic device 300 to communicate data (send and receive), and alsoallows the electronic device 300 to receive electrical energy to chargea battery assembly. Accordingly, the port 326 can include terminals thatelectrically couple to the connector.

Also, the electronic device 300 can include several additional openings.For example, the electronic device 300 can include openings 328 thatallow an additional audio module (not shown in FIG. 4 ) of theelectronic device to emit acoustical energy out of the electronic device300. The electronic device 300 can further include openings 332 thatallow an additional microphone of the electronic device to receiveacoustical energy. Furthermore, the electronic device 300 can include afirst fastener 334 and a second fastener 336 designed to securely engagewith a rail that is coupled to the protective cover 318. In this regard,the first fastener 334 and the second fastener 336 are designed tocouple the protective cover 318 with the band 302.

The electronic device 300 can include several control inputs designed tofacilitate transmission of a command to the electronic device 300. Forexample, the electronic device 300 can include a first control input 342and a second control input 344. The aforementioned control inputs can beused to adjust the visual information presented on the display assembly316 or the volume of acoustical energy output by an audio module, asnon-limiting examples. The controls can include one of a switch or abutton designed to generate a command or a signal that is received by aprocessor. The control inputs can at least partially extend throughopenings in the sidewall components. For example, the second sidewallcomponent 306 can include an opening 346 that receives the first controlinput 342. Further details regarding the features and structure of anelectronic device are provided below, with reference to FIG. 5 .

FIG. 5 shows a rear perspective view of the electronic device of FIG. 4. As can be seen, the device 300 can further include a back cover orback protective layer 340 that can cooperate with the band 302 and theprotective cover 318 to further define the internal volume and exteriorsurface of the device 300. The back cover 340 can be formed from anydesired material, such as, metals, plastics, ceramics, or composites. Insome examples, the back cover 340 can be formed from the same or asimilar material as the protective cover 318. In some examples, the backcover 340 can be a conductive transparent material, such as indiumtitanium oxide or a conductive silica. In some examples, the back cover340 can define an aperture or orifice that can receive a unitary opticalcomponent 311, as described further herein. Additionally, in someexamples, the back cover 340 itself can include some or all of thefeatures of the unitary optical components described herein. Forexample, the back cover 340 can include one or more transparent portionsoverlying an emitter and/or a detector, for example, as associated witha camera system, and can also include one or more opaque portionsextending the thickness of the cover 340 and disposed between thetransparent portions, as described herein.

FIG. 6 illustrates a perspective exploded view of the electronic device300. The housing of the device 300, including the band 302, can includeone or more features to receive or couple to other components of thedevice 300. For example, the band 302 can include any number of featuressuch as apertures, cavities, indentations, and other mating features toreceive and/or attach to one or more components of the device 300.

The device 300 can include internal components, such as a system inpackage (SiP), including one or more integrated circuits such as aprocessors, sensors, and memory. The device 300 can also include abattery housed in the internal volume of the device 300. The device 300can also include one or more sensors, such as optical or other sensors,that can sense or otherwise detect information regarding the environmentexterior to the internal volume of the device 300 as described furtherherein. Additional components, such as a haptic engine, can also beincluded in the device 300. The electronic device 300 can also include adisplay assembly 316, described herein. In some examples, the displayassembly 316 can be received by, and/or be attached to, the band 302 byone or more attachment features. In some examples, one or more of theseinternal components can be mounted to a circuit board 320. Theelectronic device 300 can further include a support plate 330, alsoreferred to as a back plate or chassis, that can provide structuralsupport for the electronic device 300. The support plate 330 can includea rigid material, such as a metal or metals.

Such components can be disposed within an internal volume defined, atleast partially, by the band 302, and can be affixed to the band 302,via internal surfaces, attachment features, threaded connectors, studs,posts, and/or other fixing features, that are formed into, defined by,or otherwise part of the band 302. For example, attachment feature 322can be formed in the band 302. In some examples, the attachment feature322 can be formed by a subtractive process, such as machining.

The back cover 340 can also be attached to the band 302, for example,via the one or more attachment features 322, or by any other desiredtechniques, for example, by an adhesive. The back cover 340 can defineat least one aperture 342 that can overlie or be aligned with one ormore internal components of the device 300, such as one or moreelectromagnetic radiation emitters and/or detectors. Such emitters anddetectors can be included as part of a vision system, camera system,biometric system, or other systems, as described herein. A unitaryoptical component 311 can be disposed in the aperture 342, or can bedisposed or retained by one or more other components such that theunitary optical component 311 can be disposed over or occlude theaperture 342. The unitary optical component 311 can include at least twotransparent portions and at least one opaque portion disposed betweenthe transparent portions, as described herein.

Any number or variety of electronic device components can include two ormore transparent portions and at least one opaque portion disposedtherebetween, as described herein. The process for forming such aunitary component can include any combination of joining, bonding,co-forming, or fusing the portions together, as described herein. Theunitary component can include a flush external surface defined by theopaque and transparent components, and the opaque portion(s) can preventor inhibit internally reflected light from passing between transparentportions of the component. Various examples of unitary componentsincluding opaque and transparent portions as described herein, andprocesses for forming the same are described below with reference toFIGS. 7-10 .

FIG. 7 shows a perspective view of an example unitary optical component400 that can at least partially define an exterior surface of anelectronic device. The unitary component 400 can include some or all ofthe features of component 211 described herein with respect to FIG. 3 ,and can be included in an electronic device, such as the devices 100,300 described herein.

As can be seen in FIG. 7 , the component 400 can include a firsttransparent portion 422, a second transparent portion 424, and a thirdtransparent portion 426. In some embodiments, and as illustrated, thesecond transparent portion 424 can surround the first transparentportion 422, while the third transparent portion 426 can surround boththe first and second transparent portions 422, 424. A first opaqueportion 432 can be disposed between the first and second transparentportions 422, 424, and a second opaque portion 434 can be disposedbetween the second and third transparent portions 422, 424. In thisembodiment, the opaque portions 432, 434 can surround the entireperimeter of the respective adjacent transparent portions 422, 424.Although, in some other examples, one or more opaque portions can onlypartially surround a transparent portion. In some examples, the externalsurfaces of the transparent portions 422, 424, 426 and the opaqueportions 432, 434 can be level, flush, or in line with one another, andcan collectively define a surface of the component 400 that can at leastpartially define the exterior surface of an electronic device includingthe component 400. Further details of the component 400 are providedbelow with reference to FIG. 8 .

FIG. 8 shows a top view of the unitary optical component 400 of FIG. 7 .As shown in this embodiment, the unitary component 400 can besubstantially circular or have a substantially circular perimeter.Further, the transparent portions 422, 424, 426 and the opaque portions432, 434 can also have a substantially circular or rounded perimeter,for example, corresponding to the shape of the perimeter of thecomponent 400. In some other embodiments, the component 400 can have anydesired perimeter shape, such as a rectangular, a triangular, or anirregularly shaped perimeter. In some examples, the perimeter shape ofone or more of the transparent portions 422, 424, 426 and the opaqueportions 432, 434 may not match or correspond to the perimeter shape ofthe component 400. Alternatively, the external geometries of thetransparent portions 422, 424, 426 and the opaque portions 432, 434 candiffer from one another.

In some embodiments, and as shown in FIG. 8 , a transparent portion 422,424, 426 can have a greater width than an adjacent opaque portion 432,434. For example, the transparent portion 424 can be wider than theopaque portion 432 and/or the opaque portion 434. Additionally, eachopaque portion 432, 434 can be a substantially continuous or solid pieceof material. In some examples, however, the opaque portions 432, 434 canbe formed from or can include multiple portions that can be joined,bonded, co-formed, or fused together during a formation process to formthe unitary component 400.

Owing at least partially to the fact that the opaque portions 432, 434can be narrower than the adjacent transparent portions 422, 424, 426 insome embodiments, as can be seen in FIG. 8 , the transparent portions422, 424, 426 can include a larger area of the surface of the component400 than the opaque portions 432, 434. In some examples, such aconfiguration can allow for desired amounts of electromagnetic radiationto be transmitted through the transparent portions 422, 424, 426 of thecomponent 400, while still preventing electromagnetic radiation frombeing internally reflected or leaking between the transparent portions422, 424, 426. Further details of the unitary component are providedbelow with reference to FIG. 9 .

FIG. 9 shows a side cross-sectional view of the unitary opticalcomponent 400 of FIG. 7 taken through the center of the component 400.In some embodiments, the surface of the component 400 that can at leastpartially define an exterior surface of an electronic device, forexample, the top surface of the component 400 as illustrated in FIG. 9 ,can have a substantially uniform, regular, continuous, or uninterruptedprofile, such as the curved profile shown in FIG. 9 . That is, thesurface may smoothly or seamlessly transition between those areas of thesurface defined by transparent portions 422, 424, 426 and those areas ofthe surface defined by the opaque portions 432, 434. In someembodiments, as described herein, the transparent portions 422, 424, 426and the opaque portions 432, 434 can be co-finished.

As can be seen in FIG. 9 , the opaque portions 432, 434 extend throughthe entire thickness of the component 400. That is, the transparentportions 422, 424, 426 are not laterally connected to each other at thelocation of the opaque portions 432, 434. In this way, any light that isinadvertently internally reflected in a transparent portion, forexample, transparent portion 424, cannot pass into another transparentportion, such as portions 422, 426 without exiting the transparentportion 424 through a top or a bottom surface thereof and thenreentering the other transparent portion 422, 426 through a top or abottom surface thereof. That is, in some examples, the opaque portions432, 434 can completely block or inhibit any internal reflectionpathways between the transparent portions 422, 424, 426, therebypreventing or inhibiting cross-talk and reducing detector noise, asdescribed herein. Further details of the construction of the unitaryoptical component 400 are provided below with reference to FIG. 10 .

FIG. 10 shows a perspective cross-sectional view of the unitary opticalcomponent 400 of FIG. 7 . As shown in FIG. 10 , the transparent portions422, 424, 426 and the opaque portions 432, 434 together define a singlecontinuous surface profile of the component 400. Further, the component400 itself can have any desired shape or profile. For example, asillustrated in FIG. 10 , the unitary optical component 400 can have aconcave or lens shaped profile that is defined by the exterior surfacesof the transparent portions 422, 424, 426 and the opaque portions 432,434. In some embodiments, the unitary optical component 400 can have anydesired shape or profile, such as a curved shape, a flat or planarshape, a shape including one or more non-planar features defined, atleast in part, by the transparent portions 422, 424, 426 and the opaqueportions 432, 434.

Any number or variety of electronic device components can include two ormore transparent portions and at least one opaque portion disposedtherebetween as described herein. The process for forming such a unitarycomponent can include any combination of joining, bonding, co-extruding,pull-truding, molding, or fusing the portions together, as describedherein. The unitary component can include a flush surface defined by theopaque and transparent components, and the opaque portion can prevent orinhibit internally reflected light from passing between transparentportions of the component. Various examples of unitary componentsincluding opaque and transparent portions as described herein, andprocesses for forming the same are described below with reference toFIGS. 11A-12 .

FIG. 11A shows a top view of a unitary optical component 500 of anelectronic device, as described herein, overlying an electromagneticradiation detector 540 and electromagnetic radiation emitters 541, 542,543, 544. In some embodiments, the unitary optical component 500 can besimilar to, or the same as, and include some or all of the features ofthe unitary optical components 111, 211, 311, 400 described herein. Inthe present example, the unitary optical component 500 can at leastpartially define an exterior surface and an internal volume of anelectronic device. The electromagnetic radiation detector 540 andelectromagnetic radiation emitters 541, 542, 543, 544 can be disposed inthe internal volume of the device underlying the unitary opticalcomponent 500, as described herein.

As can be seen in FIG. 11A, the electromagnetic radiation detector 540can be disposed under or underlie a first transparent portion 522 of theunitary optical component 500. Accordingly, the electromagneticradiation detector 540 can detect a desired range of wavelengths ofelectromagnetic radiation that enter the internal volume through thefirst transparent portion 522. As described herein, a first opaqueportion 532 can surround the first transparent portion 522 and canprevent or inhibit light that has entered or is incident on otherportions of the unitary optical component 500 from reaching the detector540 without first passing through an exterior surface of the firsttransparent portion 522. In some examples, the electromagnetic radiationdetector 540 can detect visible light, infrared light, ultravioletlight, microwaves, and/or any other desired range or ranges ofwavelengths of light.

An electromagnetic radiation emitter 541 can be disposed under a secondtransparent portion 524 of the unitary component 500, with the firstopaque portion 532 disposed between the first transparent portion 522and the second transparent portion 524. In this particular example, thesecond transparent portion 524 can surround the first opaque portion 532and the first transparent portion 522, although other configurations areexpressly contemplated. Accordingly, in order for electromagneticradiation emitted from the emitter 541 to reach the detector 540, theelectromagnetic radiation must exit the external surface of the secondtransparent portion 524, whereupon it can reflect off of or otherwiseinteract with the environment outside the electronic device, beforereentering the internal volume through the external surface of the firsttransparent portion 522. This elimination or reduction of total internalreflection pathways between transparent portions 522, 524 of the unitarycomponent 500 can allow for a significant reduction in undesirablecross-talk between the emitter 541 and the detector 540, as describedherein.

In some embodiments, one or more additional electromagnetic radiationemitters 542, 543, 544 can be disposed under the second transparentportion 524. In the present example, the four emitters 541, 542, 543,544 can all be disposed under a single second transparent portion 524,although as described herein, in some other examples, each emitter 541,542, 543, 544 can be disposed under separate or divided second portions.In some examples, the emitters 541, 542, 543, 544 can be symmetricallyspaced or disposed under the second portion 524, however, anyconfiguration of emitters 541, 542, 543, 544 is contemplated. In someembodiments, an electromagnetic radiation emitter 541, 542, 543, 544 canemit electromagnetic radiation in a desired range of wavelengths at oneor more desired intensities, for one or more desired durations. In someexamples, an emitter 541, 542, 543, 544 can emit visible light, infraredlight, ultraviolet light, and/or any other range or ranges ofelectromagnetic radiation. In some embodiments, one or more of theemitters 541, 542, 543, 544 can be a semiconductor light source, such asa light emitting diode, a laser, or any other desired component capableof emitting electromagnetic radiation.

The unitary optical component 500 can further include a thirdtransparent portion 526 that can surround the second transparent portion524. A second opaque portion 534 can be disposed between the second andthird transparent portions 524, 526, and can serve the same or a similarfunction as the first opaque portion 532. That is, the second opaqueportion 534 can serve to optically isolate the volume under the adjacenttransparent portions 524, 526 by preventing or inhibiting any totalinternal reflection pathways therebetween through the unitary opticalcomponent 500. As with the first opaque portion 532, the second opaqueportion 534 can prevent light emitted by the emitters 541, 542, 543, 544from entering the volume under the third transparent portion 526 withoutfirst exiting through the external surface of the second transparentportion 524 and reentering the third transparent portion 526.

FIG. 11B shows another embodiment of a unitary optical component 600 ofan electronic device, as described herein, overlying an electromagneticradiation detector 645 and electromagnetic radiation emitters 641, 642,643, 644. In some embodiments, the unitary optical component 600 can besimilar to, or the same as, and can include some or all of the featuresof the unitary optical components 111, 211, 311, 400, 500 describedherein. In the present example, the unitary optical component 600 can atleast partially define an exterior surface and an internal volume of anelectronic device. The electromagnetic radiation detector 645 andelectromagnetic radiation emitters 641, 642, 643, 644 can be disposed inthe internal volume of the device underlying the unitary opticalcomponent 600, as described herein.

The unitary optical component 600 can include a first transparentportion 622 overlying the detector 645. The unitary optical componentcan further include a number of opaque portions 631, 632, 633, 634 thatcan be disposed between the first transparent portion 622 and the secondtransparent portions 623, 624, 625, 626 overlying the emitters 641, 642,643, 644. Thus, in some examples, the first transparent portion 622 cansurround one or more separate or discrete second transparent portions623, 624, 625, 626 that can, for example, overlie one or more emitters641, 642, 643, 644 and can be surrounded by respective opaque portions631, 632, 633, 634.

FIG. 11C shows another embodiment of a unitary optical component 700 ofan electronic device, as described herein, overlying an electromagneticradiation detector 745 and electromagnetic radiation emitters 741, 742,743, 744. In some embodiments, the unitary optical component 700 can besimilar to, or the same as, and can include some or all of the featuresof the unitary optical components 111, 211, 311, 400, 500, 600 describedherein. In the present example, the unitary optical component 700 can atleast partially define an exterior surface and an internal volume of anelectronic device. The electromagnetic radiation detector 745 and theelectromagnetic radiation emitters 741, 742, 743, 744 can be disposed inthe internal volume of the device underlying the unitary opticalcomponent 700, as described herein.

As with the example illustrated in FIG. 11B, the unitary opticalcomponent 700 can include a first transparent portion 722 that overliesan electromagnetic radiation detector 745 that is disposed thereunder.The unitary optical component 700 can further include a number of opaqueportions 731, 732, 733, 734 that can be disposed in the firsttransparent portion 722 between the emitters 741, 742, 743, 744 and theelectromagnet radiation detector 745. In some examples, the opaqueportions 731, 732, 733, 734 do not entirely surround the transparentportions overlying the emitters 741, 742, 743, 744. That is, in someexamples, the opaque portions 731, 732, 733, 734 can be disposed onlybetween the first transparent portion 722 and other transparent portionsat select or desired locations, while the first transparent portion 722can directly abut or be integral with the second or another transparentportion at another location. Accordingly, in some examples, the firsttransparent portion 722 can be continuous with, joined to, co-formedwith, or otherwise in contact with one or more second portions, forexample, those portions overlying the emitters 741, 742, 743, 744. Theopaque portions 731, 732, 733, 734 can be disposed at locations designedto minimize cross-talk or light-leakage between the emitters 741, 742,743, 744 and the detector, but not at other locations that may havelittle or no effect on minimizing cross-talk or light-leakage.

Although certain components are described as electromagnetic radiationemitters and others are described as electromagnetic radiationdetectors, it should be understood that either an electromagneticradiation emitter or detector or both can be provided at any of thelocations of these components in any of the embodiments describedherein. That is, although component 645 is described as anelectromagnetic radiation detector, in some embodiments, the component645 can be an electromagnetic radiation emitter, or a component thatselectively functions as both an emitter and a detector. Further detailsof the unitary optical component and its structure are provided belowwith reference to FIG. 12 .

FIG. 12 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 800including a unitary optical component 811 that at least partiallydefines an external surface and an internal volume of the device 800.The device 800 can further include an electromagnetic radiation detector841 and electromagnetic radiation emitters 842, 843 disposed under theunitary optical component 811 in the internal volume. In someembodiments, the unitary optical component 811 can be similar to, or thesame as, and can include some or all of the features of the unitaryoptical components 111, 211, 311, 400, 500, 600, 700 described herein.In the present example, the unitary optical component 811 can besubstantially similar to the unitary optical component 500 illustratedwith respect to FIG. 11A.

As can be seen in FIG. 12 , the unitary optical component 811 caninclude a first transparent portion 822 disposed over the detector 841,an annular second transparent portion 824 disposed over the emitters842, 843, and an annular first opaque portion 832 disposed between thefirst and second transparent portions 822, 824, and extending the entirethickness of the component 811. A third transparent portion 826 cansurround the first and second transparent portions 822, 824, and can beseparated therefrom by a second opaque portion 834 that extends theentire thickness of the component 811 to prevent cross-talk or internalreflection pathways between portions, as described herein.

The device 800 can further include an isolation component 850 that isdisposed in the internal volume and that, in some examples, can carry orhave one or more of the detector 841 and emitters 842, 843 mountedthereon. The isolation component can include opaque or light-blockingprotrusions 851, 852, 853, 854 that can encompass, surround, andseparate the detector 841 and the emitters 842, 843 in the internalvolume of the device 800. Thus, the opaque protrusions 851, 852, 853,854 can define one or more isolation chambers, with the detector 841disposed in a first isolation chamber, and the emitters 842, 843disposed in a second isolation chamber. In some examples, the opaqueprotrusions 851, 852, 853, 854 can be disposed below, or can underlie,some or all of the opaque portions 832, 834. Thus, in some examples, oneor more of the opaque protrusions 851, 852, 853, 854 can have the sameor a similar shape as one or more of the opaque portions 832, 834.

In some embodiments, the opaque protrusions 851, 852, 853, 854 candirectly abut or contact a lower surface of the unitary opticalcomponent 811, for example, a surface at least partially defined by theopaque portions 832, 834. In some examples, the opaque protrusions 851,852, 853, 854 can be joined, fused, or otherwise bonded to the unitaryoptical component 811, for example, at the opaque portions 832, 834. Insome examples, the opaque protrusions 851, 852, 853, 854 can be bondedto the unitary optical component 811 by an adhesive. Further, in someexamples, the adhesive can be an opaque adhesive, such as an adhesiveincluding a light-blocking or light-absorbing dye or other additive.Accordingly, in some embodiments, electromagnetic radiation emitted bythe electromagnetic radiation emitters 842, 843 must pass entirelythrough the second transparent portion 824 in order to exit theisolation chamber or chambers defined, at least partially, by theisolation component 811 because no other pathway from the emitters 842,843 to the ambient environment of the detector 841 exists.

In some examples, the opaque portions 832, 834 can include an opaquematerial that has been deposited on one or more surfaces of one or moreof the transparent portions 822, 824, 826. In some examples, the opaqueportions 832, 834 can be deposited while each of the transparentportions 822, 824, 826 are separate from one another. For example, theopaque portions 832, 834 can be deposited on one or more sidewalls ofthe transparent portions 822, 824, 826 that abut or are adjacent to oneanother when the component 811 has been formed or assembled into aunitary optical component, as described herein. For example, an opaqueportion can be deposited on a sidewall of the transparent portion 824that defines an opening to subsequently receive the transparent portion822. Thus, in some examples, an opaque portion 832 can be deposited on asidewall of transparent portion 822 and/or a sidewall of transparentportion 824 prior to joining the transparent portions 822, 824 togetherto form the unitary optical component 811.

In some examples, an opaque portion, such as opaque portions 832, 834,can be formed or deposited by any desired deposition process. In someexamples, an opaque portion 832, 834 can be deposited by one or morevapor deposition processes, such as one or more chemical vapordeposition (CVD) processes and/or physical vapor deposition (PVD)processes. In some examples, and as described herein, the depositedopaque portions 832, 834 can include a metal or a metallic material. Insome examples, the opaque portions 832, 834 can include multiple layersof metallic material deposited by a vapor deposition process.Accordingly, in some examples, the opaque portions 832, 834 can besubstantially electrically conductive.

As shown in FIG. 12 , at least some of the opaque portions 832, 834 candefine an exterior surface of the unitary optical component 811, andthus, an external surface of an electronic device 800. As such, if theopaque portions 832 are not electrically connected to one or more othercomponents of the device 800, an undesirable level static electricitycan build up on the opaque portions 832, 834, for example, due toenvironmental interactions. Although not typical, if the buildup ofstatic electricity is large enough, an electrical discharge from theelectrically isolated opaque portions 832, 834 to one or more componentsof the device 800 can undesirably occur. In some examples, this staticdischarge can be powerful or energetic enough to damage or destroysensitive components of the device, such as the electromagneticradiation emitters 842, 843 and/or the electromagnetic radiationdetector 841.

Thus, in some examples, it can be desirable to electrically connect theopaque portions 832, 834 to one or more other components of theelectronic device 800. For example, the opaque portions 832, 834 can beelectrically connected to one or more electrical ground points of thedevice 800. When the opaque portions 832, 834 are electrically connectedto a grounding point or location of the device 800, any static chargebuild up can be relatively harmlessly directed to the grounding point orlocation without interacting with, or causing any damage or degradationto, other components of the device.

In some examples where the opaque portions 832, 834 include a conductivematerial, at least some of the opaque portions 832, 834 can define aportion of a surface of the unitary optical component that partiallydefines an internal volume of the device 800. In some examples, aconductive material and/or component can be in electrical communicationwith the opaque portions 832, 834 at this exposed location on theinterior or internal surface of the unitary optical component. In someexamples, the conductive material can be deposited, printed, molded,formed, or otherwise positioned in electrical communication with one orboth of the opaque portions 832, 834. In some examples, the conductivematerial can include a conductive ink that is deposited on or over theexposed section of the opaque portions 832, 834. The conductive ink canbe deposited or printed such that it is also in electrical communicationwith one or more other components of the device, thereby forming anelectrical connection between the opaque portions 832, 834 and anothercomponent of the device, such as a grounding component or a groundinglocation.

In some examples, the conductive material can include a conductive glueor adhesive material. That is, the conductive material can include aglue or an adhesive that contains conductive particles or materials. Insome examples, the conductive material can include a conductive pressuresensitive adhesive. Thus, in some examples, an adhesive that can be usedto secure one or more components to the unitary optical component 811can be conductive and can be in electrical communication with one orboth of the opaque portions 832, 834 and one or more other components ofthe device 800 to provide electrical grounding thereto. In someexamples, the conductive material can be deposited on a surface of theunitary optical component 811 by one or more deposition processes, suchas the vapor deposition processes described herein. Thus, in someexamples, the conductive material can be a metal or a metal alloy thatis deposited on a surface of the unitary optical component 811 and thatcan be in contact with one or both of the opaque portions 832, 834. Insome examples, the conductive material can include a layer of depositedcopper, silver, aluminum, or steel. The deposited conductive materialcan be in electrical communication with one or more other components ofthe device, such as a flexible electrical connector, grounding location,or other component.

Any number or variety of electronic device components can include two ormore transparent portions and at least one opaque portion disposed therebetween, as described herein. The process for forming such a unitarycomponent can include any combination of joining, bonding, or fusing theportions together, as described herein. The unitary component caninclude a flush outer surface defined by the opaque and transparentcomponents, and the opaque portion can prevent or inhibit internallyreflected light from passing between transparent portions of thecomponent. Various examples of unitary components, including opaque andtransparent portions as described herein, and processes for forming thesame are described below, with reference to FIGS. 13A-20B.

FIG. 13A shows a cross-sectional view of a portion of material 901 thatcan be formed into a unitary optical component, as described herein. Insome examples, the portion of material 901 can be transparent to one ormore desired ranges of wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation, and caninclude a ceramic or polymeric material, as described herein. In someexamples, the transparent material 901 can be a substantially unitary orcontinuous portion of material. The material 901 can be any shape orsize, but in some examples, the portion of material 901 can have a shapeand/or size corresponding to, or approximately, the same as the formedunitary optical component.

As shown in FIG. 13B, one or more trenches, cavities, or recesses 903,904 can be formed into the material 901. In some examples, the recesses903, 904 can be formed by a subtractive manufacturing process applied toa surface 902 of the material 901, such as machining, cutting, etching,or any other desired process. In some other examples, material can beadded to the surface 902 to define the recesses 903, 904, for example,by an additive process such as 3D printing. In some examples, the recess903 can have a size, shape, and/or depth corresponding to a desireddesign of a first opaque portion, and the recess 904 can have a size,shape, and/or depth corresponding to a desired design of a second opaqueportion.

As shown in FIG. 13C, subsequent to or concurrent with the formation ofthe recesses 903, 904, the recesses 903, 904 can be infilled with anopaque material 910. The opaque material 910 can include any opaquematerial having the desired light-blocking or absorbing properties, asdescribed herein. In some examples where the portion of material 901 caninclude a polymeric material, the opaque material 910 can also include apolymeric material, for example, a same or similar polymeric material.Thus, in some embodiments, infilling the opaque material 910 into therecesses 903, 904 can include bonding or fusing the opaque material 910to the transparent material 901 in the recesses 903, 904.

As shown in FIG. 13D, The transparent material 901 including opaquematerial 910 filled into the recesses 903, 904 can then be treated toachieve a final desired shape or design of the unitary optical component900, with the opaque material 910 now defining separate or discreteopaque portions 932, 934 and the transparent material 901 now definingseparate or discrete transparent portions 922, 924, 926, as describedherein. In some embodiments, the unitary optical component 900 can besimilar to, or can be the same as, and can include some or all of thefeatures of the unitary optical components 111, 211, 311, 400, 500, 600,700, 811 described herein. For example, the component 900 can include acurved or otherwise non-planar surface that can at least partiallydefine an exterior surface of an electronic device, and can also includea curved other otherwise non-planar surface that can at least partiallydefine an internal volume of the electronic device. In some examples,the final shape of the component 900 can be achieved by a subtractiveprocess, such as machining or cutting. In some examples, the final shapeof the component 900 can be achieved by a forging or a pressing process.Additional component configurations are detailed below with reference toFIGS. 14A and 14B.

FIG. 14A shows a side cross-sectional view of two transparent portionsof material 1022, 1024 that can be combined, bonded, or joined to form aunitary optical component, as described herein. In some examples, thefirst transparent portion 1022 can have a shape corresponding to, orsimilar to, a first transparent portion of the final formed unitaryoptical component. Similarly, the second transparent portion 1024 canhave a shape corresponding to, or similar to, a second transparentportion of the final formed unitary optical component. Each of the firstor second transparent portions 1022, 1024 can be formed by any desiredprocess, such as an additive or subtractive manufacturing process. Insome examples, each portion 1022, 1024 can be cut or formed from asingle or unitary piece of transparent material. An adhesive or otheropaque material 1010 can be added to either or both of the transparentportions 1022, 1024 to bond or join the portions 1022, 1024 together. Insome examples, the adhesive 1010 can be an opaque adhesive, such as anadhesive including a light-blocking or light-absorbing dye or otheradditive.

As shown in FIG. 14B, the transparent portions 1022, 1024 can be adheredtogether by the adhesive 1010 in a desired configuration to form theunitary optical component 1000. In some embodiments, the unitary opticalcomponent 1000 can be similar to, or the same as, and can include someor all of the features of the unitary optical components 111, 211, 311,400, 500, 600, 700, 811, 900 described herein. In some examples, thetransparent portions 1022, 1024 can be joined such that one or moresurfaces of each portion 1022, 1024 are offset from one another todefine one or more gaps. These gaps can then be infilled with opaquematerial to form opaque portions such as portions 1032, 1034. Thematerial used to form the opaque portions 1032, 1034 can be any desiredopaque material, as described herein, such as an opaque ceramic orpolymeric material that is the same as or similar to the material of thetransparent portions 1022, 1024. In some examples, the opaque portions1032, 1034 can further bond, join, or fuse with the transparent portions1022, 1024, thereby forming the unitary optical component 1000.

Accordingly, the opaque portions 1032, 1034 and the adhesive 1010 cancollectively define a single opaque portion that can include some or allof the features of any of the opaque portions of the unitary opticalcomponents described herein, and that can optically isolate the firsttransparent portion 1022 from the second transparent portion 1024 in theunitary optical component 1000. As can be seen in FIG. 14B, the opaqueportion defined by the opaque portions 1032, 1034 and the adhesive 1010can have one or more non-planar sidewalls. Further, the opaque portion1032 can be laterally offset from the opaque portion 1034. Thisconfiguration can, for example, provide the opaque portion defined bythe opaque portions 1032, 1034 and the adhesive 1010 with an effectivewidth equivalent to the offset between the opaque portions 1032, 1034while using less material than if the opaque portion were define by asingle piece of material having a width equal to the offset, thusreducing manufacturing and material costs. Additional configurations ofthe component are detailed below with reference to FIGS. 15A-15B.

FIG. 15A shows a side cross-sectional view of two transparent portionsof material 1122, 1124 that can be combined, bonded, or joined to form aunitary optical component, as described herein. In some examples, thefirst transparent portion 1122 can have a shape corresponding to, orsimilar to, a first transparent portion of the final formed unitaryoptical component. Similarly, the second transparent portion 1124 canhave a shape corresponding to, or similar to, a second transparentportion of the final formed unitary optical component. Each of the firstor second transparent portions 1122, 1124 can be formed by any desiredprocess, such as an additive or subtractive manufacturing process. Insome examples, each portion 1122, 1124 can be cut or formed from asingle or unitary piece of transparent material.

In some examples, one or more surfaces of the first and/or secondtransparent portions 1122, 1124 can be coated with an opaque material1132, 1134. In some examples, the opaque material can include ink,metallic material, polymeric material, ceramic material, any of theopaque materials described herein, and combinations thereof. In someexamples, the opaque material 1132, 1134 can be applied, deposited, orformed on the transparent portions 1122, and 1124 by spraying, printing,such as inkjet printing, stamping, vapor deposition process, such asphysical or chemical vapor deposition, or any other process orcombination of processes known in the art or discovered in the future.In some examples, an adhesive or other opaque material 1110 can be addedto either or both of the transparent portions 1122, 1114 to bond or jointhe portions 1122, 1124 together. In some examples, the adhesive 1110can be an opaque adhesive, such as an adhesive including alight-blocking or light-absorbing dye or other additive. In someexamples, however, because the opaque material 1132, 1134 can serve tooptically isolate the transparent portions 1122, 1124, the adhesive 1110need to be opaque.

As shown in FIG. 15B, the transparent portions 1122, 1124 can be adheredtogether by the adhesive 1110 in a desired configuration to form theunitary optical component 1100. In some embodiments, the unitary opticalcomponent 1100 can be similar to, or the same as, and can include someor all of the features of the unitary optical components 111, 211, 311,400, 500, 600, 700, 811, 900, 1000 described herein.

FIG. 16A shows a cross-sectional view of transparent portions ofmaterial 1222, 1224 that can be combined, bonded, or joined to form aunitary optical component, as described herein. As with the portion1022, 1024 described with respect to FIG. 14A, the portions of material1222, 1224, can have shapes corresponding to, or similar to, thetransparent portions of the final formed unitary optical component. Eachof the first or second transparent portions 1222, 1224 can be formed byany desired process, such as an additive or subtractive manufacturingprocess. In some examples, each portion 1222, 1224 can be cut or formedfrom a single or a unitary piece of transparent material. An opaquematerial 1232, as shown in FIG. 16B, can be added to either or both ofthe transparent portions 1222, 1224 to bond, join, or fuse thetransparent portions 1222, 1224 together. In some examples, the opaquematerial 1232 can include any of the opaque materials described herein,and can be formed into a desired shape to join the transparent portions1222, 1224 and form the component 1200 by any desired process, such asinjection molding, casting, or infilling.

FIG. 16B shows a cross-sectional view of the formed unitary opticalcomponent 1200 including the first and second transparent portion 1222,1224 joined by the opaque portion 1232. In some embodiments, the unitaryoptical component 1200 can be similar to, or the same as, and caninclude some or all of the features of the unitary optical components111, 211, 311, 400, 500, 600, 700, 811, 900, 1000 described herein.Further, as can be seen in FIG. 16B, the opaque portion 1232 can haveone or more non-planar sidewalls. The opaque portion 1232 can include,for example, a first sidewall defining a protrusion and a secondsidewall defining a recess. The opaque portion 1232 can include anydesired sidewall shape or combination of sidewall shapes, for example,as can absorb or block light in a desired way or that can assist orimprove the ability of the opaque portion 1232 to isolate the componentsbelow the transparent portions 1222, 1224, as described herein. In someexamples, the non-planar sidewalls of the opaque portion 1232 and thetransparent portions 1222, 1224 can provide a level of mechanicalinterlock or retention to the unitary optical component 1200.Accordingly, this mechanical interlock or interaction between thetransparent portions 1222, 1224 and the opaque portion 1232 can serve toincrease the strength of the unitary optical component 1200. In someexamples, where the opaque portion 1232 is joined to the transparentportions 1222, 1224 with an adhesive, the combination of the adhesiveand the mechanical interlock due to the non-planar sidewalls can providea stronger bond or joint between the opaque portion 1232 and thetransparent portions 1222, 1224 than a bond or joint that does notinclude non-planar sidewalls.

FIGS. 16C and 16D show cross-sectional views of unitary opticalcomponents 1300, 1400 formed according to a process similar to, or thesame as, a process used to form the unitary optical component 1200. Inthese embodiments, the opaque portions 1332, 1434 can include anydesired shape or profile, for example, including non-planar sidewalls,as described herein. For example, the opaque portion 1332 can includeone or more protrusions 1340, 1341 that extend therefrom. In someexamples, the protrusions 1341 can be rounded or hemispherical. In someexamples, these protrusions can serve to scatter incident light tofurther improve the optical isolation properties of the component 1300.In some examples, and as illustrated in FIG. 16D, a transparent portion1422 can include a protrusion or a feature 1440, and the opaque portion1434 can include a profile that corresponds to, or matches, the surfacedefined by the transparent portion 1422 including the protrusion 1441.In this way, the opaque portion can be bonded or fused to multiplesurfaces of the transparent portions 1322, 1324, 1422, 1434. Analternative component arrangement is provided below with reference toFIGS. 17A and 17B.

FIG. 17A shows a cross-sectional view of transparent portions ofmaterial 1522, 1524 that can be combined, bonded, or joined with anopaque portion 1532 to form a unitary optical component, as describedherein. The portions of material 1522, 1524, can have shapescorresponding to, or similar to, the transparent portions of the finalformed unitary optical component. Each of the first and secondtransparent portions 1522, 1524 can be formed by any desired process,such as an additive or subtractive manufacturing process. Further, thetransparent portions 1522, 1524 can have non-planar sidewalls 1523,1525. In this and other examples, the sidewall 1523 of the firsttransparent portion 1522 may not fit or align with a sidewall 1525 ofthe second transparent portion 1524. Accordingly, the opaque portion1532 that can serve to join or bond the transparent portions 1522, 1524together can have sidewalls that correspond to or have an inverseprofile of the sidewalls 1523, 1525 of the first and second transparentportions 1522, 1524.

As shown in FIG. 17B, the transparent portions 1522, 1524 can be joinedtogether by one or more portions of adhesive 1542, 1544 in a desiredconfiguration to form the unitary optical component 1500. In someembodiments, the unitary optical component 1500 can be similar to, orthe same as, and can include some or all of the features of the unitaryoptical components 111, 211, 311, 400, 500, 600, 700, 811, 900, 1000,1100, 1200, 1300 described herein. In this example, a first portion ofadhesive 1542 can bond or join together the first transparent portion1522 and the opaque portion 1532, while a second portion of adhesive1544 can bond or join together the second transparent portion 1524 withthe opaque portion 1532. In some examples, the adhesive portions 1542,1544 can be an opaque adhesive, such as an adhesive including alight-blocking or light-absorbing dye, or other additives, as describedherein. Yet another alternative component configuration is detailedbelow with reference to FIG. 18 .

FIG. 18 shows another example of a unitary optical component 1600including a transparent material 1601 that can include any of thetransparent materials described herein. In this example, an opaqueportion can be formed in the unitary optical component 1600 by a numberof opaque particles 1630 that can collectively divide the transparentmaterial 1601 into two adjacent transparent portions, to achieve thesame or similar light-blocking or optical isolation effects, asdescribed herein with respect to other unitary optical components. Theparticles 1630 can include an opaque material, as described herein.While a single particle 1630 will not be able to block all totalinternal reflection pathways between adjacent transparent portions ofthe material 1601, multiple particles 1630 can together inhibit orsubstantially block all total internal reflection pathways betweenadjacent transparent portions of the material 1601. In some embodiments,the opaque particles 1630 can be rounded or spherical, although in someother embodiments, the particles 1630 can have any desired shape orsize. In some examples, all of the particles 1630 can have the sameshape, while in some other examples, the particles 1630 can have avariety of desired shapes.

The opaque particles 1630 can be positioned in the transparent material1630 by any desired technique. For example, the particles 1630 can beimplanted in the pre-formed transparent portion 1601 by impacting thetransparent portion 1601 at high speed, by heating the transparentportion 1601 prior to impacting, by forming voids in the place of theparticles 1630 and infilling the voids with opaque material, by moldingthe transparent material 1601 around the particles 1630, or any othermanufacturing process. Additional methods for forming the desiredoptical component are detailed below with reference to FIGS. 19A-19C.

FIGS. 19A-C shows various stages of a process for forming a unitaryoptical component 1700, as described herein. As shown in FIG. 19A,pre-formed transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726 and pre-formed opaqueportions 1732, 1734 can be positioned adjacent to one another in adesired configuration. In some examples, the pre-formed transparentportions 1722, 1724, 1726 and the pre-formed opaque portions 1732, 1734can have an identical or similar shape to the transparent portions 1722,1724, 1726 and opaque portions 1732, 1734 of the finally formed unitaryoptical component 1700. In some examples, the shape of any one of thepre-formed transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726 and pre-formed opaqueportions 1732, 1734 can be modified during the formation process toachieve the finally formed component 1700.

In some examples, the pre-formed transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726and pre-formed opaque portions 1732, 1734 are sized to be nestedtogether and then they can be bonded or joined together by an adhesive.In some other examples, however, the pre-formed transparent portions1722, 1724, 1726 and pre-formed opaque portions 1732, 1734 can bedisposed in desired positions without yet being bonded, joined, or fusedtogether.

The pre-formed transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726 and pre-formedopaque portions 1732, 1734 in their desired positions can then besubjected to a desired amount of pressure by a forming tool 1750. Insome examples, heat may also be applied to the component 1700 before,during, and/or after application of the pressure by the tool 1750. Insome examples, the pressure can be applied from one or more desireddirections, for example, a vertical direction as shown, or isostaticallyfrom all directions. In some examples, the application of pressureand/or heat by the tool 1750 can serve to bond, join, or otherwise fusethe pre-formed transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726 and pre-formedopaque portions 1732, 1734 together. For example, the transparent andopaque portions can be joined by heating the material of each portionabove a desired temperature such that adjacent portions are fusedtougher, or by activating any adhesive that can be present betweenportions.

The formed unitary optical component 1700 is shown in FIG. 19C,including transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726 and opaque portions1732, 1734. As can be seen in FIG. 19C, in some examples, the tool 1750can modify the shape of the component 1700 and one or more of thepre-formed transparent portions 1722, 1724, 1726 and pre-formed opaqueportions 1732, 1734 to achieve a final shape of the unitary opticalcomponent 1700. For example, the unitary optical component 1700 can havea curved or lens shape, as described herein.

FIG. 20A shows various stages of a formation process for a unitaryoptical component 1800, as described herein. In this example, apre-formed portion 1801 can be provided having any desired shape. Theportion 1801 can be formed by a manufacturing process, such as anadditive or subtractive process, for example, injection molding. Thepre-formed transparent portion 1801 can have a recess or a cavity in adesired location for an opaque portion to be formed, similar to therecesses described with respect to FIG. 13B. A portion of a secondmaterial 1802 can then be infilled into the recess formed in thetransparent portion 1801 by any desired process, such as injectionmolding.

In some examples, where the portions 1801, 1802 can include ceramicmaterial, each portion can be a green body formed from a molded slurryincluding ceramic particles. The green body 1803 including the portions1801, 1802 can then be subjected to processing to achieve a desiredshape. For example, the green body 1803 can be machined, or subjected toany desired additive or subtractive manufacturing process. In someexamples, the green body 1803 can be pre-sintered prior to being formedinto a desired shape. In some examples, the green body 1803 can bepressed or can be subjected to high pressure to densify or otherwiseshape the material prior to a sintering or other finishing process.

In some examples, the green body 1803, can be exposed to a desiredamount of heat for a desired duration, for example, as part of asintering process. The sintering process can form the material of thegreen body, for example, ceramic particles, into a unitary opticalcomponent 1800, as described herein. In some examples, the initialmaterials of the portions 1801 and 1802 can thus be fused together aspart of the sintering process, and one or more of the portions 1801,1802 can attain their desired optical properties. For example, theportion 1801 can fail to be transparent to a desired range ofwavelengths of light prior to a sintering process, but the portion 1801can be a transparent portion 1801 as described herein, subsequent tosintering. In some examples, the unitary optical component 1800 can besubjected to further processing after sintering, for example, one ormore machining, forming, or polishing processes, to achieve a finaldesired shape of the transparent portions or portions 1801, the opaqueportion or portions 1802, and/or the unitary optical component 1800.FIG. 20B details an alternative forming process.

FIG. 20B shows various stages of a formation process for a unitaryoptical component 1900, as described herein. In this example, apre-formed portion 1901 can be provided having any desired shape. Theportion or portions 1901 can be formed by a manufacturing process, suchas an additive or subtractive process, for example, injection molding. Aportion of a second material 1902, for example, a different material ora same or similar material including one or more components selected toachieve a desired optical effect after processing, can be disposed in adesired location relative to the first portion 1901. In some examples,where the portions 1901, 1902 can include ceramic material, the portionscan combine to be a green body 1903 formed from a molded slurryincluding ceramic particles.

In some examples, the green body 1903, can be exposed to a desiredamount of heat for a desired duration, for example, as part of asintering process. The sintering process can form the material of thegreen body, for example, ceramic particles, into a unitary opticalcomponent 1900, as described herein. In some examples, the initialmaterials of the portions 1901 and 1902 can be fused together as part ofthe sintering process. Subsequent or concurrent with a sinteringprocess, the green body 1903 can be subjected a desired level ofpressure and/or heat, for example, during a hot isostatic pressingprocess. In some examples, the hot isostatic pressing process canfurther densify the material of the portions 1901, 1902. In someexamples, the hot isostatic pressing process can result in one or moreof the portions 1901, 1902 attaining their desired optical properties.For example, the hot isostatic pressing process can result in thematerial of the portion 1901 being transparent to a desired range ofwavelengths of light and/or the portion 1902 being opaque to a desiredrange of wavelengths of light. The formed component can then besubjected to any number of finishing processes, such as a polishingprocess or a double-sided polishing process, to form the final unitaryoptical component 1900 as described herein. Additional methods formanufacturing the unitary optical components are detailed below withreference to FIGS. 21A and 21B.

FIG. 21A shows various stages of a formation process for one or moreunitary optical components 2000, as described herein. The formationprocess illustrated in FIG. 21A can be considered a redrawing process,and in some cases, the materials of the transparent portions 2022, 2024,2026 and the opaque portions 2032, 2034 can be a ceramic material, forexample, glasses having the desired optical properties of thetransparent and opaque portions described herein. In some examples, thetransparent portions 2022, 2024, 2026 and the opaque portions 2032, 2034can be glass rods that can include an aperture or a through-hole.

In some examples, the first transparent portion 2022 can be disposedwithin the first opaque portion 2032, and the first transparent portion2022 and first opaque portion 2032 can be disposed in the secondtransparent portion 2024 to form an optical part 2001. The optical part2001 can be subjected to a re-drawing process, for example, includingheating the optical part 2001 to an elevated temperature, and forcingthe part 2001 through a die to bond the first and second transparentportions 2024 and the opaque portion 2032 together. After beingsubjected to the re-drawing process, the optical part 2001 can besubjected to further processing, such as a surface polish, to achievedesired optical properties.

After any optional processing, the second opaque portion 2034 can bedisposed around the re-drawn optical part 2001, and the thirdtransparent portion 20026 can be disposed around the second opaqueportion 2034 and the re-drawn optical part 2001. These components canthen be subjected to an additional re-drawing process, for example,including elevated temperatures and forcing the components through a dieto bond them together. After this second re-drawing process, thecomponents can be fused together into the final unitary opticalcomponent 2000 including transparent portions 2022, 2024, 2026 and theopaque portions 2032, 2034. In some examples, the re-drawn unitarycomponent 2000 can be subjected to any desired further processing, suchas polishing, cutting, slicing, or other processes.

FIG. 21B shows a perspective view of individual transparent portions2122, 2124, 2126 and the opaque portions 2132, 2134 prior to beingsubjected to a double re-drawing process, such as the process describedwith respect to FIG. 21A, as well as the formed unitary opticalcomponent 2100 after the double re-drawing process. As can be seen,where the individual transparent portions 2122, 2124, 2126 and theopaque portions 2132, 2134 include rods including through-holes orapertures, the unitary optical component 2100 formed by a doublere-drawing process can have a height or thickness corresponding to, orgreater than, the height or thickness of the rods including theindividual transparent portions 2122, 2124, 2126 and the opaque portions2132, 2134. Accordingly, in some examples, the unitary optical component2100 can be cut or sliced into any number of desired unitary opticalcomponents having a desired height or thickness.

Any of the features or aspects of the components discussed herein can becombined or included in any varied combination. For example, the designand shape of the unitary optical component is not limited in any way andcan be formed by any number of processes, including those discussedherein. A component including one or more transparent portions and oneor more opaque portions, as discussed herein, can be or can form all ora portion of a component, such as a housing or enclosure, for anelectronic device. The component can also be or form any number ofadditional components of an electronic device, including internalcomponents, external components, cases, surfaces, or partial surfaces.

To the extent applicable to the present technology, gathering and use ofdata available from various sources can be used to improve the deliveryto users of invitational content or any other content that may be ofinterest to them. The present disclosure contemplates that in someinstances, this gathered data may include personal information data thatuniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specificperson. Such personal information data can include demographic data,location-based data, telephone numbers, email addresses, TWITTER® ID's,home addresses, data or records relating to a user's health or level offitness (e.g., vital signs measurements, medication information,exercise information), date of birth, or any other identifying orpersonal information.

The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personalinformation data, in the present technology, can be used to the benefitof users. For example, the personal information data can be used todeliver targeted content that is of greater interest to the user.Accordingly, use of such personal information data enables users tocalculated control of the delivered content. Further, other uses forpersonal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated bythe present disclosure. For instance, health and fitness data may beused to provide insights into a user's general wellness or may be usedas positive feedback to individuals using technology to pursue wellnessgoals.

The present disclosure contemplates that the entities responsible forthe collection, analysis, disclosure, transfer, storage, or other use ofsuch personal information data will comply with well-established privacypolicies and/or privacy practices. In particular, such entities shouldimplement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that aregenerally recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or governmentalrequirements for maintaining personal information data private andsecure. Such policies should be easily accessible by users and should beupdated as the collection and/or use of data changes. Personalinformation from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonableuses of the entity and not shared or sold outside of those legitimateuses. Further, such collection/sharing should occur after receiving theinformed consent of the users. Additionally, such entities shouldconsider taking any needed steps for safeguarding and securing access tosuch personal information data and ensuring that others with access tothe personal information data adhere to their privacy policies andprocedures. Further, such entities can subject themselves to evaluationby third parties to certify their adherence to widely accepted privacypolicies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should beadapted for the particular types of personal information data beingcollected and/or accessed and adapted to applicable laws and standards,including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For instance, in the US,collection of or access to certain health data may be governed byfederal and/or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability andAccountability Act (HIPAA); whereas health data in other countries maybe subject to other regulations and policies and should be handledaccordingly. Hence different privacy practices should be maintained fordifferent personal data types in each country.

Despite the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplatesembodiments in which users selectively block the use of, or access to,personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplatesthat hardware and/or software elements can be provided to prevent orblock access to such personal information data. For example, in the caseof advertisement delivery services, the present technology can beconfigured to allow users to select to “opt in” or “opt out” ofparticipation in the collection of personal information data duringregistration for services or anytime thereafter. In another example,users can select not to provide mood-associated data for targetedcontent delivery services. In yet another example, users can select tolimit the length of time mood-associated data is maintained or entirelyprohibit the development of a baseline mood profile. In addition toproviding “opt in” and “opt out” options, the present disclosurecontemplates providing notifications relating to the access or use ofpersonal information. For instance, a user may be notified upondownloading an app that their personal information data will be accessedand then reminded again just before personal information data isaccessed by the app.

Moreover, it is the intent of the present disclosure that personalinformation data should be managed and handled in a way to minimizerisks of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risk can beminimized by limiting the collection of data and deleting data once itis no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including incertain health related applications, data de-identification can be usedto protect a user's privacy. De-identification may be facilitated, whenappropriate, by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth,etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of data stored (e.g.,collecting location data a city level rather than at an address level),controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users),and/or other methods.

Therefore, although the present disclosure broadly covers use ofpersonal information data to implement one or more various disclosedembodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that the variousembodiments can also be implemented without the need for accessing suchpersonal information data. That is, the various embodiments of thepresent technology are not rendered inoperable due to the lack of all ora portion of such personal information data. For example, content can beselected and delivered to users by inferring preferences based onnon-personal information data or a bare minimum amount of personalinformation, such as the content being requested by the deviceassociated with a user, other non-personal information available to thecontent delivery services, or publicly available information.

As used herein, the terms exterior, outer, interior, inner, top, andbottom are used for reference purposes only. An exterior or outerportion of a component can form a portion of an exterior surface of thecomponent but may not necessarily form the entire exterior of outersurface thereof. Similarly, the interior or inner portion of a componentcan form or define an interior or inner portion of the component but canalso form or define a portion of an exterior or outer surface of thecomponent. A top portion of a component can be located above a bottomportion in some orientations of the component, but can also be locatedin line with, below, or in other spatial relationships with the bottomportion depending on the orientation of the component.

Various inventions have been described herein with reference to certainspecific embodiments and examples. However, they will be recognized bythose skilled in the art that many variations are possible withoutdeparting from the scope and spirit of the inventions disclosed herein,in that those inventions set forth in the claims below are intended tocover all variations and modifications of the inventions disclosedwithout departing from the spirit of the inventions. The terms“including:” and “having” come as used in the specification and claimsshall have the same meaning as the term “comprising.”

The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used specificnomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the describedembodiments. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art thatthe specific details are not required in order to practice the describedembodiments. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of the specificembodiments described herein are presented for purposes of illustrationand description. They are not targeted to be exhaustive or to limit theembodiments to the precise forms disclosed. It will be apparent to oneof ordinary skill in the art that many modifications and variations arepossible in view of the above teachings.

What is claimed is:
 1. An electronic device, comprising: a housingdefining an aperture and at least partially defining an internal volumeof the electronic device; an electromagnetic radiation emitter disposedin the internal volume; an electromagnetic radiation detector disposedin the internal volume; and an optical component disposed in theaperture, the optical component comprising: a first transparent portiondisposed above the electromagnetic radiation detector; a secondtransparent portion disposed above the electromagnetic radiationemitter; and an opaque portion at least partially disposed between thefirst transparent portion and the second transparent portion; and theopaque portion comprising sidewalls, wherein the first transparentportion, the second transparent portion, and the opaque portion define aflush exterior surface of the electronic device and an interior surfaceof the optical component, the opaque portion extending from the exteriorsurface to the interior surface, wherein the first transparent portionand the second transparent portion are integrally formed.
 2. Theelectronic device of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiationemitter comprises a light emitting diode.
 3. The electronic device ofclaim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiation detector comprises atleast one of a visible light detector or an infrared light detector. 4.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electromagnetic radiationdetector and the electromagnetic radiation emitter are separate from theoptical component.
 5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein theelectromagnetic radiation emitter is a first electromagnetic radiationemitter and the electronic device further comprises a secondelectromagnetic radiation emitter disposed under a third transparentportion.
 6. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising anisolation component disposed in the internal volume, the isolationcomponent abutting the optical component and at least partially defininga first chamber and a second chamber; wherein: the electromagneticradiation detector is disposed in the first chamber and theelectromagnetic radiation emitter is disposed in the second chamber; andthe isolation component prevents electromagnetic radiation from passingbetween the second chamber and the first chamber within the internalvolume.
 7. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein the isolationcomponent abuts the optical component at the opaque portion.
 8. Ahousing for an electronic device, comprising: a body defining anaperture and at least partially defining an exterior surface of theelectronic device; an optical component disposed in the aperture, theoptical component comprising: a first transparent portion; a secondtransparent portion; a first opaque portion disposed between the firsttransparent portion and the second transparent portion; a thirdtransparent portion; a second opaque portion disposed between the secondtransparent portion and the third transparent portion; the firsttransparent portion, the second transparent portion, the thirdtransparent portion, the first opaque portion, and the second opaqueportion further defining the exterior surface of the electronic deviceand defining an interior surface of the optical component; wherein: thefirst transparent portion, the second transparent portion, and the thirdtransparent portion are at least partially connected and define a largersurface area of the exterior surface than the first opaque portion andthe second opaque portion; and the first opaque portion and the secondopaque portion extend from the exterior surface to the interior surface.9. The housing of claim 8, wherein the first transparent portion, thesecond transparent portion, and the third transparent portion areintegrated together and surround the first opaque portion and the secondopaque portion.
 10. The housing of claim 8, wherein the first opaqueportion comprises an interference barrier in an “L” shape disposeddirectly between the first transparent portion and the third transparentportion.
 11. The housing of claim 8, wherein the first opaque portionand the second opaque portion at least partially isolate the firsttransparent portion and the second transparent portion from the thirdtransparent portion.
 12. The housing of claim 8, wherein the firsttransparent portion, the second transparent portion, the thirdtransparent portion, the first opaque portion, and the second opaqueportion comprise ceramic material.
 13. The housing of claim 8, whereinat least one of the first opaque portion or the second opaque portioncomprises a coating deposited onto a surface of an adjacent transparentportion.
 14. The housing of claim 8, wherein at least one of the firsttransparent portion, the second transparent portion, or the thirdtransparent portion is joined to at least one of the first opaqueportion or the second opaque portion by an adhesive.
 15. The housing ofclaim 8, wherein at least one of the first transparent portion, thesecond transparent portion, or the third transparent portion is directlyfused to at least one of the first opaque portion or the second opaqueportion.
 16. The housing of claim 8, wherein at least one of the firstopaque portion or the second opaque portion comprises a non-planarsidewall.
 17. The housing of claim 8, wherein at least one of the firstopaque portion or the second opaque portion comprises a first sectiondefining the exterior surface and a second section defining the interiorsurface, the first section being laterally offset from the secondsection.
 18. An electronic device, comprising: a housing defining anaperture and at least partially defining an internal volume of theelectronic device; an electromagnetic radiation emitter disposed in theinternal volume; an electromagnetic radiation detector disposed in theinternal volume; an optical component disposed in the aperture, theoptical component comprising: a first transparent portion disposed abovea first electromagnetic radiation emitter; a second transparent portionat least partially isolated from the first transparent portion, thesecond transparent portion disposed above the electromagnetic radiationdetector; a first opaque portion disposed between the first transparentportion and the second transparent portion; a third transparent portiondisposed above a second electromagnetic radiation emitter; a secondopaque portion disposed between the second transparent portion and thethird transparent portion; the first transparent portion, the secondtransparent portion, the third transparent portion, the first opaqueportion, and the second opaque portion at least partially defining anexterior surface of the electronic device and an interior surface of theoptical component; wherein: the first transparent portion, the secondtransparent portion, and the third transparent portion are connectedtogether and define a larger surface area of the exterior surface thanthe first opaque portion and the second opaque portion; and the firstopaque portion and the second opaque portion extend from the exteriorsurface to the interior surface.
 19. The electronic device, of claim 18,wherein the first opaque portion and the second opaque portion comprisea conductive material.
 20. The electronic device of claim 18, whereinthe optical component is formed by a double redrawing process.